Thursday’s WIAA high school hoops action features a number of intriguing games before the weekend. It’s a huge night in the Big Eight Conference, as four of the top contenders square off in two games that should have title implications down the road…

Madison East (1-0) at Sun Prairie (1-0)
Two Big Eight favorites square off in the conference opener. Madison East features a 1-2 punch of Keshawn Justice, who’s coming off a great spring/summer on the travel circuit, and Steve Wooten. Sun Prairie will be without 2020 guard Jalen Johnson, but 2018 G/F Marlon Ruffin (28.0 ppg) can carry the Cardinals in the meantime as the talented junior continues to emerge as one of the top floor impact talents in the state.

Middleton (1-0) at Madison Memorial (0-0)
This one is sure to have conference title implications down the road. North Dakota State commit Tyree Eady (30.0 ppg) and Wofford commit Storm Murphy (27.0 ppg) are off to great starts this season. Memorial’s Chris Knight, a Dartmouth commit, looks to make an early statement for Player of the Year in the Big Eight.

Burlington (1-0) at New Berlin West (1-0)
This should be a good test for Burlington and Nick Klug (19.0 ppg), who was one of the big surprises on the travel circuit this past spring/summer. Burlington is coming off an overtime win over Mount Horeb and gets New Berlin West, who despite a rough 2015-16 season, reloaded many of their key players and could surprise this season.

New Holstein (2-0) at Waupun (1-0)
After a 16-7 campaign in 2015-16, New Holstein has won their first two games of the season. They’ll challenge the defending Division 3 state champions, led by 2019 G/F Marcus Domask. Domask, who has an early offer from Green Bay, was spectacular in the season opener, going for 21 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.

Evansville (2-0) at East Troy (0-0)
Coming off a 20-win season, East Troy opens the 2016-17 campaign with a big matchup vs. Evansville. The Blue Devils are out to a 2-0 start and are led by 2017 guard Brennen Banks, a big sleeper in the state of Wisconsin. Through two games, Banks is averaging 35.0 ppg.

Note: Evan is a contributing editor for NY2LASPORTS.COM. He is also the football and basketball recruiting analyst for Badger247. Follow Evan on Twitter @Evan_Flood.